Divine Root Bone

In the heart of the Southern Region lies a perilous place that divides heaven and earth—the Broken Cloud Canyon. To the east of the canyon are the Qingyun Sect and the Biyue Yunlan Sect, who have been on good terms for generations, with abundant spiritual energy and stable sects; to the west of the canyon is the headquarters of the Black Fiend Demonic Sect, which is shrouded in evil miasma year-round, where evil cultivators reside and whose fearsome reputation is widespread.

The two spies from the Demonic Cult who had previously inquired about the Qingyun Sect fled hastily after hearing the footsteps of the Yunlan Sect female cultivator in the dense forest at the border of the two sects. They dared not linger and sped along the mountain path, crossing the misty and miasma-filled Duanyun Canyon, passing through the poisonous vines and traps densely packed on the west side of the canyon, and finally returned to the Black Fiend Demonic Cult headquarters.

The two went straight into the side hall of the Demonic Sect's council, paid their respects to the black-clad elder who was in charge of intelligence and overall planning for external affairs, knelt on one knee, and reported everything they had seen and heard about the Qingyun Sect.

"Elder, Zhang Yang, the newly recruited disciple of the Qingyun Sect, possesses extraordinary talent. While his official record only indicates superior innate ability, his true combat strength rivals that of top-tier prodigies. At the fifth level of Qi Refining, he can crush a late-stage seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator, a feat two realms apart. His physical body, spiritual power, and divine soul all far surpass those of his peers in the Southern Region. The seven elders of the Qingyun Sect have privately made an exception, gifting him a full fifty top-grade spirit stones. Given more time to break through his current realm, abducting him will be as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

The elder in black tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, a greedy glint in his eyes. He then pressed on in a deep voice, "On your journey to and from Qingyun, did you encounter any cultivators from other sects? Did they reveal any of our sect's plans?"

The two spies were taken aback upon hearing this. They carefully recalled the scenes they had encountered along the way when they passed the fork in the road. Their faces turned pale instantly, and they stammered, "Reporting to the elder... when we passed the two sects' paths, we encountered a group of female cultivators from the Azure Cloud Sect. At that time, we were discussing in hushed tones our plans to kidnap Zhang Yang and attack Qingyun. In our haste, we did not keep our voices down, and it is highly likely that they overheard our conversation."

"What?!"

The elder in black suddenly stood up, his body exploding with a chilling, evil aura, and his expression changed drastically.

"The Azure Cloud Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect have been on friendly terms for a century, their interactions and mutual assistance as close as lips and teeth. If they overhear this secret, it will reach the Azure Cloud Sect Master's ears within half a day. The Azure Cloud Sect will immediately activate its mountain gate formation and mobilize all its disciples to prepare for battle. Any attempt at a sneak attack will be futile!"

The situation was urgent, and the elder dared not delay for a moment. He rushed out of the side hall, passed through the layers of demonic sect halls, and went straight to the highest Black Fiend Hall of the main altar to request an audience with the Black Fiend Sect Leader.

Inside the main hall, the Black Fiend Sect Leader sat upright in the main seat with evil markings, surrounded by thick black mist. After listening to the elder recount the entire process of the secret agents' investigation and how their whereabouts were accidentally discovered by the Azure Cloud Sect, he showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, he burst into laughter, his eyes filled with ferocity and arrogance.

"Hahaha, heaven is on our side! We were planning to launch a sneak attack when the opportunity arose, but now that the news has been leaked, so what? It saves us the trouble of plotting in secret!"

The elder in black frowned and cupped his hands in a reminder: "Sect Leader, the Qingyun Sect has seven Foundation Establishment elders in charge, and now the Biyunyun Sect has sent all its female cultivators to reinforce us. If we launch a direct attack, we will inevitably suffer considerable losses."

The sect leader raised his hand, the surging black mist revealing his unwavering confidence: "No need to fear. Deep within our sect lies the Demonic Sect Ancestor, who has been in seclusion for many years and possesses peak Foundation Establishment cultivation. None of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Qingyun and Yunlan sects can contend with him. Currently, Zhang Yang possesses exceptional talent, and the Qingyun Sect has abundant spiritual veins, pills, and spirit stones. Taking advantage of their recent receipt of the news and incomplete defensive preparations, we will immediately gather the entire sect's forces for a frontal assault, flattening the Qingyun Mountains in one fell swoop, capturing Zhang Yang, and annexing the entire spiritual vein!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the cult leader issued orders, and a series of evil decrees spread throughout every branch of the Black Fiend Cult:

1. All evil cultivators at the Qi Refining stage must immediately cease their arduous training and assemble at the main altar training ground, equipped with poisonous claws and Yin Spirit magical artifacts;

2. The three Foundation Establishment branch leaders under his command each lead a team of elite evil cultivators, all under the command of the elders.

3. Send people to various passes in the canyon to set up temporary camps and stockpile healing pills and evil artifacts to break formations;

4. Send a message to the Demonic Sect's patriarch, who is in seclusion in the back mountains, informing him that they are about to launch an attack on the Qingyun Sect and requesting that the patriarch come out of seclusion to oversee the campaign.

The entire Black Fiend Sect instantly sprang into action, with a continuous stream of malevolent energy surging from its headquarters. A large number of evil cultivators dressed in dark, tight-fitting clothes rushed back and forth, their weapons clashing and shouts echoing throughout the western side of the canyon.

On one side of the Broken Cloud Canyon, cultivators from the Qingyun and Yunlan sects were hastily deploying and preparing for battle, while on the other side, the Black Fiend Demonic Cult army was gathering in large numbers and ready to attack. The peaceful facade of the entire Southern Region was completely shattered, and a great battle between good and evil was about to begin.